Thursday letters to the editor

Published 8:00 pm, Wednesday, May 18, 2005

Don't resist the draft

To the editor:

What in the name of God are our people in this free country thinking when it comes to the draft. You can call it bloody Iraq or whatever you want. Maybe you would want a bloody United States of America? We are fighting this war on their ground, so we will not have to fight in this country. We must stop North Korea and Iran now before they get a nuke that will hit one of our big cities, and kill millions of people.

North Korea will stop at nothing to get what they want. They may sell warheads to other bad people.

So if you want to put your head in the sand, and think it will not happen, think again. We must be ready to train our men and women before it's too late.

Draft resisters are doing just what Iran and Korea want to hear. I can hear them now saying, see, the United States can't get men and women to fight anymore.

I thank the men and women in Iraq who are doing what it takes to keep us free and the people in Iraq, who have never been free.

ELDEN ASPIN

Midland

Election day confusion

To the editor:

In response to the column "Our View" (Midland Daily News, May 5, 2005), students do deserve a quality education and a school board that has their best interests at heart. What they need are people who care and vote. What example are we setting by not voting - after all, we are the United States of America, the country that promotes free elections.

But, on Election Day my own voting right was in doubt. I live in Ward 1, Precinct 6 - City of Midland, Bay County. On school elections, I vote in Bay County; general elections, Longview school. Went to Williams Township on election day and was informed I was not on the list of voters - go to Longview, I was told. So off to Longview I went. When I got there, a sign was up with Ward 1-6 on it. This must be the place, I thought, seeing the sign. Wrong, I was informed go back to Bay County even though my precinct number was on the sign.

So back to Williams Township I went and after some colorful bantering by Amy with Bay County and the city - Amy is not my representative, but a wonderful person - I was allowed to vote. I have a few questions:

1.) Why didn't Bay County get the voters list from the city?

2.) Why did the signs go up with my precinct number on them?

3.) Why doesn't anyone running for office in my area contact any of us?

My last point is a wish. I would like the Midland Daily News to cover who is running for office in Bay County, only the part that affects the city. We receive barely any information on any elections, and lack of information is like no information, which leads to voter apathy. I would like my questions answered and my wish fulfilled, but that would only happen in a perfect world.

BETTY WASHBURN

Midland

Buckle up

To the editor:

Traffic crashes kill more than twice as many people as murder, and there is a traffic crash somewhere in the United States every five seconds. In fact, traffic crashes are the single largest cause of death for persons ages 3 to 33.

Despite the fact that Michigan has reached the highest safety belt use rate in the state's history - 90.5 percent - thousands of drivers and their passengers do not buckle up. Safety belts remain the best and most effective safety equipment in any vehicle.

While educational messages regarding the benefits of safety belt use raise awareness, these messages rarely change behavior. Enforcement campaigns change behavior because most motorists will buckle up rather than risk getting a ticket. That's why more than 500 local, county and state law enforcement agencies will be working together across Michigan in a concentrated effort to enforce the state's safety belt law from May 23-June 5.

Our goal is to increase safety belt use, not write tickets. Increased safety belt use saves lives, and that's the bottom line. In 2004, not only did safety belt use increase, but traffic fatalities decreased nearly 10 percent.

Motorists increase their chances of surviving a traffic crash by 50 percent just by buckling up. Wearing a safety belt can prevent thousands of serious injuries and save hundreds of lives on Michigan roadways.

I would like to remind everyone about the importance of wearing a safety belt every time you drive or ride in a car. It will save you the cost of a ticket, and it could save your life.